Study shows widening income gap between professors at public and private universities

Students walk across the campus of UCLA. What does the discrepancy in pay for professors at public and private universities mean for higher education? ; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The annual economics report from American Association of University Professors reveals that the difficult economic climate is taking a particularly nasty toll on professors at public universities. Tenured professors at private universities received an average of $167,118 last year, while their counterparts at public institutions received an average of $123,393.

According to the report the gap has grown wider in recent years, and state budgets across the country continue to appropriate fewer and fewer funds to higher public education.

Is the gap stretching so wide that it will affect where professors choose to teach in the future? How can public universities continue to compete for top talent?

Guest:

Dr. F. King Alexander, President of California State University, Long Beach